The Fifth Element (1997)

The Fifth Element (1997)

7/10

Starring

Bruce Willis

Christ Tucker

Gray Oldman

Ian Holm

Milla Jovovich

Directed by Luc Beeson

My first look at Milla Jovovich was in this pop-themed science fiction film, The Fifth Element. This movie sticks out in my mind because of its fun ride and upbeat tempo.

The movie starts strong with the introduction of a superior race who move as slowly as snails (you’d think an evolved race would be faster). It maintains that energy until the last scene, which is a long-awaited love (or sex) scene between Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich.

Seeing this movie almost 20 years after my first viewing made me appreciate the visual effects even more. They didn’t look lame at all, as I expected they might after 19 years. The effects were well done, and the vision of what 2263 AD might look like is fascinating.

At the helm of this film was Luc Besson (Taken (2008) and Lucy (2014)), whose previous screenwriting and directing work included Léon: The Professional (1994). Besson’s screenwriting skills are on full display in this awesome movie, and the acting by Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, and Chris Tucker makes every scene worth watching.

The movie’s plot centers on an alien race called the Mondoshawans, who are the guardians of four stones capable of defeating a great evil that appears every 5,000 years. They came to collect the stones from Earth when they feared they were no longer safe.

Three hundred years later, in 2263, the great evil—a plant-like entity—approaches Earth. All attempts to destroy it fail as the plant absorbs every missile thrown at it. A priest informs the president about the Mondoshawans and their four stones, along with a fifth element needed to defeat the approaching evil.

The president allows the Mondoshawans to approach Earth’s atmosphere, but they are attacked, shot down, and their wreckage ransacked. All hope seems lost until a scientist discovers a single hand, which he uses to regenerate a human—a woman created from Mondoshawan DNA.

She breaks free and lands in the taxi of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), begging him to help her find the priest. Korben breaks countless traffic rules helping her locate the priest. The priest learns where the stones are located from the woman and sends his colleague with her to retrieve them. Meanwhile, the great evil contacts its partners on Earth to also retrieve the stones. Korben is then recruited by the government to do the same.

The Fifth Element meets all the requirements for a great sci-fi movie. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive European film ever made, with a budget of $90 million, and it grossed over $263 million at the box office. This is a movie worth keeping in your collection, don’t you think?